Fresh , locally-produced Connecticut ice cream will soon be in your grocer’s freezer. The Farmer’s Cow, a group of six Connecticut familyowned dairy farms, is expanding its line of products to include ice cream. The first pints should be available in spring 2010, and the new product opens up new possibilities to the three-year-old organization , which aims to educate the public about the process behind the practice of Connecticut dairy farming.

“It’s a natural transition for us and comes after we received a lot of requests ,” said Robin Chesmer, owner of Graywall Farms in Lebanon.

Founded at a time of challenge and change for the agriculture and farming industries in Connecticut, particularly as dairy has faced increased competition from large national and regional companies , a mission of The Farmer’s Cow has been to draw attention to local dairy farms themselves and the people behind them.

“The Farmer’s Cow needs to create more opportunities in order to sell more of our milk. Expanding our product line is a long-term investment in creating more options for our farms. The bottom line is that we have to sell more milk,” Chesmer said.

Throughout the summer, The Farmer’s Cow has had a presence at regional farmer’s markets, including in New Milford , Coventry, Lebanon and New Haven, where customers have been able to ask questions directly to the farmers who made the product.

“We try to connect to the marketplace and invite the public to come for a tour of our farms to see how their milk is made,” Chesmer said.

The organization’s product line is growing. Half and half was added in 2009, and heavy cream is set to launch in November . Apple cider was offered, for the first time, this fall. The ice cream will launch as a premium product at supermarkets and grocery stores, but The Farmer’s Cow is exploring partnerships with local schools and hospitals who may be interested in offering smaller sizes of ice cream.

A recent survey conducted by The Farmer’s Cow gave insight into the variety of flavors that customers would like. In addition to vanilla, chocolate and strawberry, they included coffee, blueberry , mint chocolate chip, cherry vanilla , cookies and cream, raspberry, peanut butter, maple walnut, chocolate chip cookie dough and butter pecan.